Bad Bunny joined by Lady Gaga in star-studded Super Bowl half-time show

Bad Bunny was joined by pop icon Lady Gaga for a star-studded Super Bowl half-time show, performed almost entirely in Spanish and carrying a message of unity.

The 31-year-old singer, also known as Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, took the stage in Santa Clara, California, in a high-energy performance celebrating his Puerto Rican heritage and culture.

The main event of the American football season saw the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks collide in a rematch of the 2015 Super Bowl, with the Seahawks emerging 29-13 victors.

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance drew criticism from US President Donald Trump and sparked an “alternative” half-time show featuring Kid Rock and a roster of country musicians, organised by the conservative non-profit Turning Point USA.

The highly-anticipated performance opened on Puerto Rican scenes of dominoes and sugar cane fields, set to the musician’s 2022 single Titi Me Pregunto before moving into Perreo Sola, sang atop the rooftop of a casita – or little house.

The performance reached a dramatic peak when Bad Bunny crashed through the casita roof to the familiar notes of Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina, a tribute to past creatives who paved the way for today’s Latin music scene.

Later on, he was joined by Lady Gaga, who performed a salsa version of her Bruno Mars collaboration Die with a Smile.

The stage transformed into a block party set for renditions of Baile Inolvidable and NuevaYol, where he took a shot with the owner of one of New York City’s last remaining Puerto Rican social clubs.

Fellow Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin then graced the stage for a rendition of Lo Que Le Paso a Hawaii – or What Happened to Hawaii – a song that has become a rallying cry for Puerto Rico’s autonomy.

Other celebrity guest appearances included Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal, actress Jessica Alba, rapper Cardi B, singer Karol G and influencer Alix Earle.

The Latin American musician, who exploded onto the international scene last year with his sixth studio album Debi Tirar Mas Fotos, recently made history at the Grammys as the first artist to win Album of the Year for a record sung entirely in Spanish.

At one point during the show, the stage transformed into an altar as a couple tied the knot while Bad Bunny performed behind them.

A representative confirmed to the Associated Press that the wedding was real and Bad Bunny served as an official witness.

The unnamed couple had reportedly invited the musician to their wedding, but he instead suggested they form part of his half-time show.

Elsewhere in the show, the 31-year-old rapper scaled power lines and waved the Puerto Rican flag during his performance of Apagon, seemingly referencing the ongoing power outages and difficult recovery his homeland endured during the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

Back-up dancers surrounded him, waving flags from Latin American countries, as well as those of the United States and Canada.

His performance was almost entirely in Spanish, his preferred language for recording and performing, until the end, when he said, “God Bless America,” naming other countries before paying tribute to “my motherland, mi patria, Puerto Rico”.

He held a football inscribed with “Together We Are America”.

The performance ended with fireworks, a huge Puerto Rican flag and a Jumbotron emblazoned with the words: “The only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Following the half-time show, US President Donald Trump called the performance “absolutely terrible”.

In a post on his Truth Social account, Mr Trump said: “The Super Bowl Halftime Show is absolutely terrible, one of the worst, EVER!

“It makes no sense, is an affront to the Greatness of America, and doesn’t represent our standards of Success, Creativity, or Excellence.

“Nobody understands a word this guy is saying, and the dancing is disgusting, especially for young children that are watching from throughout the U.S.A., and all over the World. This “Show” is just a “slap in the face” to our Country, which is setting new standards and records every single day — including the Best Stock Market and 401(k)s in History!

“There is nothing inspirational about this mess of a Halftime Show and watch, it will get great reviews from the Fake News Media, because they haven’t got a clue of what is going on in the REAL WORLD.”

Meanwhile, US popstar Gaga took to Instagram and said it was an “absolute honour” to join Bad Bunny onstage.

The 39-year-old, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, shared a post to her 61.8 million followers of herself singing during the Super Bowl performance.

She wrote: “It was my absolute honour to be a part of Benito’s halftime show.

“Thank you Benito for inviting me and thank you to the entire cast for welcoming me onto your stage. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Rock band Green Day performed the opening ceremony with popstar Charlie Puth tasked with singing the US national anthem.

Fresh off his major Grammys win, Bad Bunny also picked up the award for best global music performance for his hit track EoO and won the best musica urbana album award for the fourth year in a row.

A known critic of Mr Trump’s immigration policies, the singer used his Grammy acceptance speech last week to call for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to leave cities alone and opt for love.

He said: “We’re not savages, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.

“I would say to the people, I know it’s tough to know not to hate on these days, and I was thinking, sometimes… the hate get more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”

His latest 17-track record fuses several genres, including reggaeton, pop, salsa and house, along with traditional Puerto Rican music such as plena, in what can be described as a love letter to the Island.

Previous Super Bowl half-time show headliners include Sir Paul McCartney, Beyonce, Rihanna, Coldplay and most recently Kendrick Lamar, who have each performed a medley of their hit songs, often bringing out surprise guests to the stage.